


3 Times Iris Tried (and failed) To Make Pancakes

by sophisticatedloserchick



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Childhood Sweethearts, Dating, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Married Life, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:20:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23986687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophisticatedloserchick/pseuds/sophisticatedloserchick
Summary: Three times Iris has tried (and failed) to make Barry pancakes through out their lives from their childhood to married life.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Iris West
Comments: 7
Kudos: 63





	3 Times Iris Tried (and failed) To Make Pancakes

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired from episode 6x17 where Barry made it clear Iris was never (and never will be) good at making pancakes XD

**1\. When they were kids**

The first month Barry stayed at the West home he barely ate a thing.

After his mom died, and his dad went to prison, Barry felt like his body went into shock. His appetite disappeared and he lost track if he ate at every meal time. The breakfasts and dinners Joe prepared went half eaten as Barry spent most of his time pushing around the food on his plate as we waited till he could be excused from the table. He'd keep his head down the entire time as he could feel Joe's concerned eyes staring him down. 

Which is why he felt a sense of relief one Sunday morning that Joe had gone into work early. Barry didn't want to deal with the disapproving eyes and lectures about needing to take better care of himself.

On this particular Sunday morning he planned to lie in bed for as long as he could. Nothing motivating him to get up and do anything. But instead of lying in bed alone with his thoughts he heard the sounds, that he assumed came from Iris, of pots and pans clashing and loud pop music blasting. Curious and a little concerned he headed downstairs wondering what he'd find.

What he ended up walking into was a kitchen in complete disarray. Piles of dirty dishes were in the sink. The floor covered in patches of white flour. A stick brown substance covered all the counters and cupboards. Thin grey smoke curled in the air and the smell of burnt charcoal made Barry's eyes water.

And there right in the middle of it all his best friend danced to Janet Jackson songs while flipping pancakes onto a plate.

“Barry!” She exclaimed when she spotted him. “Finally you're up. I thought I'd have to drag you out of bed.”

Barry went red at the idea of his best friend, and not so secret crush, coming into his bedroom while he still laid in bed. The one downside to this new arrangement is having your crush right down the hall where she could pop in on you at anytime.

“What are you doing?” Barry asked trying to deflect his embarrassment. His green eyes took in the streaks of flour across her face and the dried batter splattered across her apron making her just as much of a mess as the kitchen.

“Making pancakes duh,” Iris rolled her dark brown eyes playfully at him. “They're your favourite right? I know you haven't had any in a long time so I wanted to make you some.”

Barry stood there with his mouth gaped open at her remembering. The thought that Iris went to the trouble to make him pancakes surprised him but also made a prickling warmth spread through his body. He couldn't remember feeling this kind of happiness since his mom died.

“Go set the table and I'll get our plates ready,” Iris ordered as she went back to flipping the pancakes not at all concerned about the clouds of grey smoke coming off the pan.

Barry obediently followed orders though the idea of actually eating her pancakes filled him with dread. His best friend had many talents, but none of them included her abilities in the kitchen.

Five minutes later Iris came into the dinning room with two plates of pancakes. A proud smile spread across her face as she deposited the plate in front of Barry. The dread he felt increased ten fold as he got an actual look at the pancakes. They were misshapen to a shape Barry didn't think a name for it existed, their colour was a shade a pancake should never be, and he swore he saw lumps in them.

Any sane person would of pushed that plate away and refused to eat. But then Barry took one look at Iris to see her practically vibrating with excitement, her brown eyes shinning as she looked at him, and knew he couldn't say no.

“Mine probably aren't as good as your mom's,” Iris said almost looking a little bashful, “But I promise to keep trying to get better at it because I know you love them.”

The thought of his best friend putting in all that effort to make him happy gave him the motivation to finish the whole plate.

Even if he did regret it later when he got a stomach ache.

**2\. When they were dating**

Barry woke up to the loud beeping of the fire alarm going off in his apartment.

In his half asleep state he struggled to throw the bed covers off his body. He immediately noticed Iris wasn't sleeping in the bed beside him and his heart dropped to his stomach. He already had a hunch as to what set off the fire alarm.

Barry ran straight towards the kitchen where clouds of grey smoke were already spilling out from. As he entered the room his eyes immediately took in two things. One, Iris standing away from the stove with a spatula in hand but otherwise unharmed. Two, the cast iron pan on the stove currently had orange flames shooting out of it. 

Acting on instinct Barry grabbed a lid to cover the pan to smother out the flames, next he turned off the burner, then grabbed a towel to move the pan into the sink. All of this occurred in a span of ten seconds but for Barry it felt much longer.

After he felt satisfied the lid had snuffed out the fire Barry turned his attention to a sheepish looking Iris.

“Good morning baby,” Iris said in her sweetest voice, the one she knew made Barry melt. “Did you have a good sleep?”

Barry gave her a withering look before taking in the rest of the kitchen. He noticed the tell tale signs of what Iris tried to make with the flour covering the counter, and spilled milk and broken egg shells.

“Iris,” Barry sighed as he looked back at her, “Were you trying to make pancakes? Alone?”

“I wanted to surprise you,” Iris folded her arms across her chest looking adorably put out. “You always make me breakfast in bed since we started dating. I didn't want to be a bad girlfriend who didn't return the favour.”

Thats because I can make pancakes without burning the kitchen down, Barry thought to himself but didn't dare speak it out loud.

Cooking remained a touchy subject with Iris. After years of failures, and food poisonings, and kitchen fires, she still remained convinced if she just kept trying then magically one day she'd become a great cook.

Barry having been her test subject for many years had his doubts her lack of cooking talents could be turned around. Now as her boyfriend of three months Barry struggled to dance around the subject. Luckily Iris kept incredibly busy with her job at the paper and helping Team Flash that her go to in the kitchen involved ordering take-out. She also tended to sleep in late on the weekends which meant Barry typically got up first and did all the cooking. He'd hope to avoid the situation of Iris cooking for him for as long as possible.

“You're not a bad girlfriend,” Barry rushed to reassured her. “Besides you know I love making you breakfast.”

Iris nodded at his words but Barry could tell by the look on her face she wasn't convinced.

Without the threat of his kitchen burning down Barry could now take a better look at her. Heat curling in his stomach when he noticed the she only had on his oversized CCPD grey shirt. The hemline barely hitting the top of her thighs giving him a clear look at her shapely legs. Her petite body swimming in the excess material of the large shirt. After a few months of dating He still felt a quiet possessive thrill when she wore his clothes, and he'd happily give her his entire wardrobe if he could.

Barry moved towards her like a moth drawn to a flame. His arms wrapping around her smaller frame and pulling her in close. He buried his face in the soft skin of her neck breathing in the sweet scent of her soap. He could feel her relaxing in his arms as her body melted against his.

“Listen let me clean up and then I'll make your favourite chocolate chip pancakes,” Barry kissed the exposed skin of her neck earning a soft giggle from her. “And you can make our coffees.”

“Okay,” Iris sighed under Barry's attentions as she pressed closer to him. “But I swear Bar one day I'll make you the best pancakes.”

Barry knew Iris meant that as a sweet promise but to him it came off a little bit like a threat.

**3\. When they were married**

In a flash of red lighting Barry returned to his home.

He'd been out all night and early morning dealing with on meta-human after another. He hated being away from his family especially on the weekends when he ideally wanted to hang up Flash duties to be with them. But as the protector of the city he had to answer the call if needed.

He pulled off his cowl and headed towards the kitchen. He planned to cook Iris and Nora a huge breakfast of their favourite chocolate chip pancakes, waffles with whip cream and bacon and eggs, to make up for him being gone. His plans quickly changed as he headed towards the kitchen he heard voices talking.

Slowing his steps and walking quieter Barry peered around the corner of the kitchen to see his wife and daughter. Both were still in their pyjamas and their hair piled messily on tops of their heads. Nora stood on top of a chair in order to be tall enough to reach the counter. Iris whisked a batter in a large bowl while Nora poured over the open cookbook.

Warmth spread through him watching his two girls. It was almost enough to distract him the sense of dread he felt to see Iris getting ready to cook.

“Mama is it suppose to be that lumpy?” Nora went up on her tip toes and looked into the bowl with a face scrunched up in distaste.

“Lumps are not that big of a deal,” Iris said even while she continued to furiously whisk the batter, “They'll dissolve eventually...I think.”

“Daddy's pancakes don't have lumps,” Nora pointed out in a kind of bluntness only a child could have.

“Nora,” Iris gave her a mock stern look, “What did we say about comparing my pancakes to daddy's?”

“Not to do it,” Nora mumbled as her shoulders slumped.

“Good girl,” Iris patted on her head before going back to whisking.

She continued to struggle for another five minutes before Barry decided he needed to intervene for everyone's best interest.

“There's my two best girls,” Barry proclaimed loudly as he walked into the kitchen.

Both Iris and Nora looked at him with matching wide eyed looks that quickly dissolved into elation.

“Daa-adddy!” Nora scrambled down from the chair and ran over to him. Barry bent down and easily scooped her up into his arms and cuddle her close to his chest. Nora threw her small around his shoulders in a hug.

“What are you two making?” Barry asked casually as he tried to hide the concern on his face when looking at the batter in the bowl Iris had been whisking. He noticed the lumps right off and the thickness of it concerned him too.

“Mama is trying to make pancakes,” Nora whispered loudly to him. “But I don't think its going so well.”

“Alright you two I get it,” Iris scowled at the both of them. “You both will be eating bananas for a week if you're not careful.”

Barry and Nora both knowing Iris never made an idle threat schooled their expressions to not give themselves away.

“Nora why don't you go set the table,” Barry put his daughter back on the ground, “Your Mama and I will finish the pancakes.”

After Nora scampered off Barry turned his full attention to his wife who looked less than pleased.

“Why can't I get this?” Iris sigh in frustration. “Its pancakes, not rocket science!”

“Iris come on don't be upset,” Iris wrapped his arms around his wife's waist to pull her in close. “You're talented at so many things. You're an accomplished journalist, you got the most deadly punch in the family, you win every game of spades and pictionary we play.”

“Keep going,” Iris's elbow nudged into his side. “What else am I good at?”

“You're also the most amazing mother and wife in the world,” Barry bent to press a soft kiss to her cheek. “Not to mention smart, funny, and absolutely stunning. You're basically perfect but everyone needs to have one or two flaws. Yours just happens to be cooking.”

“Okay, okay I get it,” Iris laughed and to Barry's pleasure snuggled in closer to him. “You can stop laying it on so thick smooth talker.”

“I speak nothing but truth,” Barry said while he tilted his head to steal a kiss from her.

As they parted from the kiss Barry could see Iris didn’t look upset anymore but instead he saw mischief in her dark brown eyes. 

“Well I guess lucky for me my husband is excellent at cooking,” Iris gave him a coy smile as she pushed the bowl of batter towards him. “Hope you can make this work honey, I'm going to go make myself coffee.”

Barry stared down at the lumpy mess Iris left him and figured he'd have better luck beating a army of meat-humans blind folded with one hand tied behind his back then make good pancakes out of it. But he would do anything for his wife so he'd definitely planned to try.


End file.
